Glass Barrier
by mrscarstairs
Summary: "There was a broken shard of Will's heart somehow lodged into Jem, and if removed, Will could not help but feel that they would both break, shattered into irretrievable pieces." Pre-Clockwork Angel. Will realizes for the first time how important Jem is to him.


**A/N: Hey there everyone! I'm taking a day off from Shadow Self, so in the meantime, I am writing a few one-shots for my followers on Tumblr! This one is for gaberdeen. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot I created for this story. All characters, etc. belong to their rightful owners and Cassandra Clare!**

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London could not be less peaceful that night, as the shadows watched and waited.

Will Herondale took a methodical step forward, his seraph blade already pulsing in his hand. Deep in the recesses of his mind, he could hear his sister, Ella, calling out to him, _"Be careful, Gwilym! Do not be rash! And lace your boots, before you trip and injure yourself!" _However, the swift canter of her voice faded all too soon into the buried place where memories brought only pain and melancholy to the blue-eyed boy. His loneliness was better handled without the reminder of what he had lost.

Then again, he supposed he was not completely alone. Not now that he had a _parabatai_, a sworn partner that would always stand by his side, or so he secretly wished. James Carstairs trailed behind his friend, as standard during their assignations. Will could never seem to remember to make certain no demon followed him, and he had told Jem as such, though the silver-haired boy had already noticed it himself. As protective as a lioness with her cub, Jem watched Will's back with a fierce stance. Out of the corner of Will's eye, he could just make out Jem's own weapon gleaming in the darkness of the night.

"Remind me what we are looking for, Will?" Jem sounded exasperated and tired, and when Will turned to face his friend, he wasn't shocked to see the dim glaze over Jem's eyes—he had not taken his drug before they left. _Why must he be so proud?_ Will thought bitterly. _The _yin fen_ helps him during battle! He should have taken some in preparation for tonight! _

Will crossed his arms and leaned up against the stone wall of an abandoned shop, ignoring the sharp rocks that jutted out into his shoulder blades. "I am looking for a lot of things, James," he said airily. "The meaning of life, beautiful maidens, a brand of gin that doesn't give me headaches…" He shrugged and sighed. "The list goes on."

Jem's gaze narrowed and he exhaled deeply, lowering his weapon in defeat. "You are impossible, William," he replied, shaking his head. "You know what I meant."

Silence entered the atmosphere around the two boys until Will could not help but squirm as if a tub of ice had been poured down his back. "Demons, of course," he exclaimed, jabbing his index finger in the air. Upon further inspection of his partner, Will could see the sharp angles of Jem's face where they had been highlighted from the mix of the witchlight in his hand and the eerie glow of the moon above. The silver of his hair sparkled, and when he tilted his head away from Will, black shadows cascaded across his cheekbones and jawline, reminding Will of a dark prince from a fairy tale book. It was the exotic beauty of his face that had first caught Will's attention when they were children. Jem did not look as if he belonged in this world, walking among mortals. There was something about the way he moved and spoke that strongly resembled every dream Will had ever experienced of angels; just being in his presence sent a rushing wave of security and safety over Will, a sense of peace that he had missed since his encounter with the demon in the pyxis.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts was Jem's voice, uncharacteristically harsh and insistent. "I am aware that we are in search of demons, Will, but you never told me what kind or where we are to find them."

Will scratched the back of his head for a moment, biting his lip. He was so lost in his own mind that he had not noticed Jem walking closer to him, wearing a concerned expression. _He is constantly worried about me. I wish he would not care so much._

No, that was a lie, and Will knew it, as strongly as he knew of his own guilt over Ella's death. In all honesty—and that was something he was not used to, telling the truth—Will was filled with joy and pride that Jem cared about his safety, even after the awful way he treated the other boy. Jem was like a glass barrier, blocking every insult and hurtling only kindness and generosity in its place. Will could not recall a time when Jem had been anything more than slightly annoyed by Will's antics, let alone full-on angry. It gave Will a sense of relief to know that he could always count on Jem's support, no matter what this damned curse forced him to say or do.

"There is a nest of raveners about two blocks from here," Will informed his friend. "I am not sure who summoned them or why, but they've already killed three mundanes. The two of us are going to take them down!"

Jem smiled and clapped his hand on Will's back affectionately. "Lead the way."

By the time they made their way through the back streets of London and into an alleyway where the demons supposedly resided, the moon had already reached its clearest point in the sky. Even more shadows filled the wet and filthy land that surrounded them, but Will could still hear the faint rustling of claws scratching on cement as the demons moved.

"They are here," Jem remarked, confirming Will's suspicions. "And they know we are as well."

As if echoing Jem's thoughts, Will watched as a scorpion-like tail darted out of the darkness and nearly stabbed the silver-eyed boy, who easily dodged out of its way before any damage could be done to his body. Will sprang into action, naming his seraph blade with a whisper and flinging it at the demons, which were making themselves known more with each passing second. He could hear Jem fighting valiantly, swinging his own weapon with accurate precision. Will slaughtered two raveners in one swing, noting how they seemed to fight in pairs, instead of separated. In a strange way, they reminded Will of him and Jem.

"Will, get down!"

The Shadowhunter ducked immediately, feeling his _parabatai_ closing in behind him. Jem swung his blade just above Will's head, slicing clean through a demon that had been attempting to sneak up on Will. He tossed a quick, "Thank you!" before returning the favor.

Will took a step forward and jabbed his seraph blade into the mouth of another ravener, grimacing at the cluster of various eyes set in the middle of its face, rolling into the back of its misshapen head as it slowly disappeared. "Good riddance," Will sneered, shaking some demon blood off his hand from where it sprayed from the ravener's wound. "I think that's all of them, Jem! What a team we are, eh?"

Will's heart stopped when a cough emanated next to him. He spun just in time to catch a glimpse of Jem falling to his knees, long, thin fingers clutching at his chest. A second cough ripped through him until he was forced to hunch over, and Will barely felt his feet hit the ground as he raced to his friend's side.

"Jem! _James_! What's wrong?" Will instantly chided himself for asking such an idiotic question, but he could not help himself. For the first time, Will felt genuinely scared for the boy in front of him, and he did not understand where his sudden fear came from, which only served to frighten him further.

Jem clawed at his stomach, and when Will glanced down, he saw a bright crimson stain spanning the front of Jem's gear. Somehow, one of the demons had pierced Jem with its tail, and no doubt injured him greatly. He gasped against his will, and did the only thing that felt right at that moment: he pulled Jem into his arms.

For a second, Jem was silent and still, tensing up at the feel of Will holding him. But after a moment passed, Jem relaxed and nearly fainted. Will yanked his stele out of his belt and pressed it unceremoniously against Jem's inner arm, cursing under his breath. For some reason unknown to him, Will felt a strong urge to save Jem, to tell him how much this boy meant to him before it was too late. Yes, it was true that Jem was Will's glass barrier, but not only for his unkind remarks, but also because of the fragility that seemed to envelope his body since the day they met. There was a broken shard of Will's heart somehow lodged into Jem, and if removed, Will could not help but feel that they would both break, shattered into irretrievable pieces.

"Stay with me, James, all right? You are going to be just fine. Loop your arm around my neck." Will dragged Jem to his feet, the other boy draping his arm across Will's shoulders. Jem muttered something unintelligible, but Will suspected it was something along the lines of, "I am not weak."

Will could make out the Institute only a block away as they left the alley, his strength focused on Jem and Jem only.

_Why? Why do I care so much what happens to him? What makes him so special? It could be because he is my _parabatai_, but I have felt this protectiveness of him since the day we met in that training room. I cannot be separated from him, as his soul is now my own. If I lose him now, I will not survive the year. To lose Jem Carstairs, _Will paused and his eyes widened, almost falling over from the weight of his sudden realization. _To lose Jem Carstairs is to lose myself._

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**A/N: As usual, reviews are super awesome, so please drop a note to me about your thoughts! This is my first time writing in Will's POV, so I tried my best! R&R, and I will see you around!**


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